One‐Step Preparation of Non‐Covalent Functionalized Carboxylic Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Polymethyl Methacrylate Nanocomposites Via in Situ Polymerization

In this work, methyl methacrylate (MMA) copolymerized with cationic monomer 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyltrimethylammonium chloride (MTC) via in situ suspension copolymerization, meanwhile, negatively charged carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were adsorbed through electrostatic interactions during copolymerization process to fabricate nanocomposites. The chemical structure of copolymer was analyzed by H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1-NMR). The interfacial adhesion between MWCNTs and polymer matrix was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The morphologies of synthesized microspheres were observed by SEM. Finally, the mechanical properties of nanocomposites were investigated in detail. The results suggest that: the nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized by in situ suspension copolymerization; both the dispersion of MWCNTs and interfacial adhesion between MWCNTs and matrix were improved; and the mechanical properties of nanocomposites were dramatically reinforced. The nanocomposites were prepared in one step without additional treatments of MWCNTs or copolymer matrix, which makes the method relatively efficient.